More waste was treated and recycled in 2013 than the year before, official figures reveal.

The total amount of solid waste treated last year in Malta amounted to 2,057 tonnes – an increase of 5.5 per cent over 2012, the National Statistics Office said.

This was due to an increase of 7.8 per cent in inert mineral waste treatment and a drop of 3.4 per cent in non-mineral waste treatment.

Waste in landfills fell by 1.8 per cent and municipal waste, which represented 65.2 per cent of non-hazardous waste, decreased by 3,368 tonnes or 1.9 per cent.

Recycling went up last year as the Sant’ Antnin Waste Treatment Plant, managed by WasteServ, treated 70 tonnes – an increase of 7.6 per cent over 2012.

The total amount of solid waste treated last year in Malta amounted to 2,057 tonnes – an increase of5.5 per centover 2012

The domestic waste separation scheme, where recyclable products are placed in green or grey bags, accounted for 95.5 per cent of the total waste input into the plant.

The volume of the green and grey bags increased by 9.4 per cent to 11,729 tonnes, the highest amount collected through this scheme since it started in 2008.

Waste incinerated by the Marsa Thermal Treatment Plant increased by 10.3 per cent to 6,586 tonnes.

In 2013, waste collected from bring-in sites increased by 17.3 per cent while that collected from civic amenity sites increased by 17.5 per cent, mainly as a result of higher amounts of construction and demolition waste, bulky and wood waste.